Lincoln, Nebraska: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: Yes — a peddler permit for each rep. “Peddler” includes canvassers and solicitors going house to house taking orders or offering services to be performed in the future (5.36.020). Permits are nontransferable, so one permit does not cover a crew (5.36.060).
• Where it comes from: Lincoln City Clerk. The Clerk takes the application and issues the permit after the Chief of Police approves it (5.36.030, 5.36.040).
• Fee: A nonrefundable permit fee of twenty-five dollars, paid to the City Clerk when the application is filed (5.36.030). The code lists no separate badge or fingerprint charge.
• Hours you may knock: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m on any day of the week, unless the prospective customer asked for the call (5.36.080).
• What the rep carries: The permit. The rep must show it to any police officer, or to the occupant of any home approached, on request (5.36.090).
• What takes the time: The police investigation. The application needs a two-inch by two-inch photograph taken within sixty days and the applicant's fingerprints, and it goes to the Chief of Police before the Clerk can issue anything (5.36.030, 5.36.040). A felony or moral-turpitude conviction within ten years is a denial (5.36.050). The code posts no processing time.
• Code: Lincoln Municipal Code Chapter 5.36, Peddlers (5.36.010 to 5.36.140).
• Worth knowing: A permit runs only to the date on it and never more than one year (5.36.100). Violations are a misdemeanor, and each day counts as a separate offense (5.36.140).
• Read it yourself: Lincoln Municipal Code Chapter 5.36 · Lincoln City Clerk, Applications and Permits · City of Lincoln Peddler Permit Application (PDF) · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down: How long does the police investigation take? Where are fingerprints taken, and is there a separate charge? Is the permit fee still the amount in 5.36.030? Clerk’s name ______________   Direct line ______________   Date called ______________